Tiger Guards

Chapter 17 The Beginning of Hell
At night, near the campfire.

Wei Gu sat in the middle, Pei Xiu, Guanqiu Xing, Jia Kui, and Liu Fu sat beside him. On the other side of the fire were Zhao Ji, Wei Xing, Ximen Jian, and two Huben leaders who arrived this afternoon.

Five more county teams arrived today, coming from counties in the lower reaches of the Sushui River and the lower reaches of the Fenshui River.

One of them was Wang Fu of the Yi clan, who had been designated as the second garrison commander; the other was Xue Ju of Fenyin, and whether he would serve as the third garrison commander or team officer would have to wait until the arrival of the Pi clan and Puban teams.

Ten people sat together, most of them were drinking, except Zhao Ji and Jia Kui.

Zhao Ji prefers this relatively democratic military atmosphere. The collective is growing stronger, but the crisis is also getting closer.

The number of Tiger Guards recruited by each county obviously exceeded the quota by a large margin. Just today, there were more than 500 of them.

This would certainly arouse the vigilance and hostility of Baibo's old generals, and the closest one was General Han Xian, who stationed his troops in the southern part of Wenxi.

Han Xian and other former Baibo generals were called upon by Yang Feng to rise up and march to defend the king. They participated in the bloody battle of Hongnong and were all badly injured.

Later, he fell out with Yang Feng and had to withdraw from Anyi. He stationed in the south of Wenxi County and kept a close eye on the developments in Anyi.

As for the emperor's return to Luoyang, most people certainly did not dare to go south to Hongnong and take the Hangu Road; as long as they crossed the river, there would be the risk of fighting with Li Jue and Guo Si, and they were all afraid of being beaten.

The previous plan was to go to Hanoi via the Chenguan Pass and cross the river from Mengjin to Luoyang.

Many people are out of touch with the news and have no clear understanding of what has happened in the past six months. It's like seeing flowers in the fog.

Only know the result, not the inside story.

Now that the ten people were sitting together, Wei Gu began to tell what had happened in the past.

Zhao Ji also understood the real situation and felt more and more urgent.

To begin with, we have to start from the killing of Fan Chou.

After Li Jue annexed Fan Chou, Zhang Ji became uneasy and moved eastward to Hongnong, where he rested for two years to accumulate strength.

Then Li Jue and Guo Si fought each other. When Guo Si gained the upper hand, Yang Feng suddenly reinforced Li Jue and counterattacked Guo Si. Yang Feng also instigated Li Jue's military officers to rebel, attempting to assassinate and annex Li Jue.

After the failure, Yang Feng fled and Li Jue's power declined.

At this time, Zhang Ji led his troops into Guanzhong to persuade Li Jue and Guo Si to temporarily agree to the emperor's eastward migration. Then Zhang Ji led his troops and joined Yang Feng, Yang Ding, and Dong Cheng in guarding the eastward migration team.

Guo Si was no match for Li Jue, so he joined the guards, but then he realized that he could not lose the emperor.

They stopped and walked several times during the journey, and when they arrived in Huayin, Yang Ding, the Liangzhou official who participated in the escort, had an old grudge with Huayin defender Duan Wei. Duan Wei had made a lot of money in recent years, and Yang Ding attempted to annex Duan Wei.

Duan Wei defended his camp for more than ten days, sending people to deliver food to the emperor and officials every day, and never took the initiative to attack the migrating team.

Then he entered Hongnong under Zhang Ji's command. Yang Ding was uneasy and abandoned his army to flee to Jingzhou. Guo Si suddenly sent troops to seize the emperor, but was defeated and 5,000 heads were beheaded. He then led the remaining troops to flee to Zhongnan Mountain and joined Li Jue's group.

During this period, a conflict broke out between Dong Cheng and Zhang Ji, and Zhang Ji turned to join Li Jue's group, and they joined forces to besiege and kill the emperor's eastward migration team.

The Hu Ben, Yu Lin, sons of nobles and guards who followed the emperor were almost all killed.

In this situation, he could only agree to Yang Feng's proposal and seek peace with Li Jue while sending envoys to ask Bai Bo's former general and the Xiongnu Right Wise King Qubei to come to the rescue.

Reinforced by thousands of elite cavalry, this army suddenly attacked Li Jue, beheaded thousands of people and temporarily repelled Li Jue.

Li Jue then pursued them again, defeated the eastward-moving team, and captured all the officials and palace ladies.

At the most urgent moment, there were only dozens of people left by the emperor, and he could only cross the Yellow River in small boats.

There were steep cliffs on both sides of the river, but the strong soldiers carried the emperor on their backs and climbed up the cliffs to cross the river and reach the shore.

Afterwards, the governor of Hedong County, Wang Yi, welcomed the emperor to Anyi and sent an envoy, Li Jue, to ask for peace. Li Jue ordered Zhang Ji to send the seized officials, registers, and palace ladies back to Hedong.

Due to the chaos caused by the war between the various parties and the severe drought, the army had to rely on looting to get enough food.

Zhang Ji was also seriously injured. In the winter, he abandoned Hongnong and took the Wuguan Road to Nanyang to find food.

At this time, Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei County, also arrived with his troops and brought food, which gave the eastward-moving troops a respite.

After that, Bai Bo's former generals were unwilling to follow the emperor to move east, so they defeated and expelled Dong Cheng; Zhang Yang also cut off food supplies, and this led to the consensus of moving east to Henei to find food.

If we don't leave now, Hedong may run out of food at any time, and Li Jue will attack after he recovers.

Just wait until the weather gets warmer and then go to Chenguanxing.

These recruits can be considered as the vanguard troops.

But the problem is obvious. If they really go to Hanoi, just the publicity will make Yang Feng and other old Baibo generals unable to sleep or eat.

Wei Gu didn't say much, but Zhao Ji understood what he meant.

Bai Bo's former generals did have the merit of saving the king, but they would never give up the opportunity to control the emperor.

He was unable to defeat Li Jue and Guo Si in the west, and even the more powerful Zhang Ji had fled to Nanyang. In the winter when he was short of food, he was shot and killed by the defenders when he attacked Rangcheng.

Another person who abandoned the army and fled, Yang Ding, also disappeared on Wugu Pass Road.

He might have been killed by the mountain people or by the guards.

To the east, Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei Prefecture, was a brave and valiant man on par with Lu Bu, Marquis of Wen. Behind Zhang Yang lay Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, who were vying for control of Hebei. South of the Yellow River lay Cao Cao of Yanzhou, fresh from a major battle, and Yuan Shu, who remained on the offensive, fighting despite repeated defeats.

Even the people of King Chen Liu Chong were rich and powerful, and these were not people that Bai Bo's former generals could provoke.

Even the Xiongnu tribes gathered in the Pingyang area were stronger than Baibo's former generals.

The old Bai Bo generals were so weak, and the newly formed Huben were even weaker. The imperial court had only the righteous cause but the weakest military force.

Therefore, the problem ahead is even more difficult. If one wants to rescue the emperor, he must fight against Yang Feng, Li Le, Hu Cai, Han Xian and other former generals of Baibo.

After winning the battle, Li Jue and Guo Si would definitely send troops to Hedong to take advantage of the situation.

Whether it was fighting with Bai Bo's old generals or resisting Li Jue and Guo Si, the relatively prosperous and wealthy area around Anyi would be reduced to ruins.

During this period, the Huns would also take advantage of the situation to rob and plunder the population.

This is not in line with the fundamental interests of the people of Hedong... They can protect the emperor, and the sons of each family can sacrifice their lives for the country, but if their hometown is reduced to ruins, and the men and women of each family are killed and humiliated by the rebel army like weeds, the price is obviously too heavy.

Therefore, they moved to Henei and coaxed Bai Bo's former generals over, so that the Hedong Huben could act with ease.

In this way, even if the entire army is wiped out, it will not bring disaster to the hometown.

Be worthy of the emperor above and be worthy of your hometown below.

If the emperor's troops were sent away, Li Jue and Guo Si would no longer be concerned about Hedong.

Be it Wang Yi or the other families in Hedong, no one wanted to provoke Li Jue and his gang.

This is probably the beginning of hell, being tied to the weakest court in the world and not having the support of his father and brother.

Even so, the young men from various families, whether they knew about it or not, still volunteered to join the Tiger Guards.

While Wei Gu was telling the story, he was also observing everyone.

Pei Xiu and Guanqiu Xing beside him already knew everything. Jia Kui and Liu Fu were even more serious, as they also knew the inside story.

However, Zhao Ji and others, who had weaker family background, connections and cognition, had no idea what kind of enemy they were going to face.

Wei Xing, who was famous for his bravery in the county, was not afraid of death, but he was also afraid that the rebel soldiers would harm his family.

Ximen Jian and others set an example for the county and maintained a stable mood.

On the contrary, Zhao Ji, who lived alone in the mountains, listened attentively, which made Wei Gu and Pei Xiu feel eager to try.

Wei Gu wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he spoke of his discomfort. "The Baibo generals are as arrogant as Li Jue and Guo Si. Even though we have wealth and wealth, we dare not offer it to the emperor. We have gathered in Jiangyi, but it is here that the Xiongnu tribes and the garrison to the north have made the Baibo generals wary. They are afraid that if we travel east, the generals will rebel and form an alliance with the two thieves Li and Guo, forcing the emperor west to Guanzhong."

Pei Xiu coughed lightly twice, and saw the firelight reflected in Zhao Ji's eyes. He asked, "The national situation is difficult. Aji, you have lived in Jishan for a long time and have made friends with people from all walks of life. Do you have any plans to deal with it?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Zhao Ji's face. Zhao Ji looked around and said, "I don't know what the situation is like in Guandong, but I have heard that the heroes are fighting endlessly, and there are many people who cross states and counties. Even if they welcome the emperor, they are full of malicious intent, just like the two thieves Li and Guo. Even if there is a difference, they are more tolerant."

After a pause, Zhao Ji continued, "This county has been largely destroyed since Baibo's uprising. Furthermore, the Xiongnu have taken over the northern part of the county, and their numbers are increasing day by day. Once the Xiongnu multiply and grow in population, how can they coexist peacefully with us?"

"My view is simple. Whether we go to Hanoi or Luoyang, we will attract the attention of the treacherous officials from Guandong. If this county cannot expel the Xiongnu, our descendants will become their slaves, and our fields and ancestral tombs will become their horse grazing grounds. Our lives, wives, and daughters will be in jeopardy."

"The sky is about to collapse, and there is no place to hide. Either you fight to the death while you are strong, or you will suffer humiliation in old age."

Zhao Ji spoke in a low voice, looking up at the night sky: "Living in a world like this, we cannot give in. We must carve out a clear world for our descendants."

Wei Xing, who was listening nearby, was annoyed and asked, "Then kill him?"

"kill."

Zhao Ji looked back at Wei Xing, raised his hand, patted his shoulder, and smiled, "They look down on us. This is our only chance. We must rally all the forces we can to rescue the Emperor first, and then strike back at the two thieves, Li and Guo! The Emperor will enter Chang'an and cultivate the old territory of the pre-Qin period. When Guandong is exhausted, we can send troops to annihilate it. Then, we can restore the Han Dynasty for the third time, and our names will be recorded in history, and we will retain our titles as dukes and marquises."

Jia Kui looked troubled. "How can it be easy? The bandits are all veterans and old soldiers. Although they are crude and unruly, they are not something we can defeat easily."

Wei Gu also said: "Yes, the Three Prefectures are in chaos and nine out of ten houses are empty. How can we bring disaster to our hometown?"

Zhao Ji spread his hands and said, "I've made it very clear. The enemies are countless. We can escape for ten or twenty years of peace, but after that, there will be nowhere to escape. The court is weak now, and those who stick with us are all loyal and good, and they all have the intention to sacrifice their lives for the country. This is a great opportunity."

Wei Gu looked unhappy, so Pei Xiu asked, "Aji, if we take the Jishan trail, hiding during the day and traveling at night, how many days will it take to reach Anyi?"

"We can't hide the troop movements from them."

Zhao Ji paused, looking directly at Pei Xiu. "Seventh Brother, the court originally agreed on five hundred Tiger Guards. Leave five hundred in the camp to reassure Bai Bo. Select the remaining brave warriors and retreat to Wenxi to form an ambush. The five hundred Tiger Guards will advance through Chenguanxing as ordered. Now we need the court's cooperation to lure Bai Bo's former generals to Wenxi. Pei will hold a banquet to welcome the emperor, and perhaps we can achieve an ambush without bloodshed. If that doesn't work, we will kill the bandit leader."

As long as the action is not taken in Anyi, Wei Gu's resistance will not be so strong.

At this time, Ximen Jian also spoke up: "We can die for the court, and the officials in the court should also take action."

Jia Kui suggested, "What about lobbying Xu Huang?"

Wei Gu frowned. "It's better not to make it public. Yang Feng sent him back to his hometown to recruit soldiers with the intention of attacking, coercing, and forcing us. He is Yang Feng's confidant, so we must be on guard."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji glanced at Jia Kui but did not express his attitude.

Jia Kui also noticed Zhao Ji's gaze, and then lowered his head and stopped making eye contact.

(End of this chapter)